You Say Tomato...Sauce

Ma's Tomato Sauce

This is a basic tomato sauce that we use over pasta or to make other yummy Italian sauces.  It is not the typical thick tomato sauce - it is a bit thinner and has chunks of tomato & garlic in it.

Ingredients:

4-6 cloves of fresh garlic, peeled and crushed
3 28-oz cans of whole, peeled Roma tomatoes
       or A LOT of fresh Roma tomatoes, blanched and peeled
Dried basil
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Instructions:

1) Heat 2-3 tablespoons of Olive oil in large pot over medium-low or medium heat.

2) When oil is ready, add the crushed garlic and sauté, continuously moving the bits around, until the garlic is light brown.  (Note: you do not want the oil too hot as it will burn the garlic.)

Yummm...garlic

3) Once the garlic is light brown (like the color of cappuccino), add the tomatoes, with canning liquid, to pot.  Bring the heat up to medium-high and cook for about 20 - 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Look at all those tomatoes!!

You will notice that the tomatoes begin to break up with a little nudging from the wooden spoon.  If you prefer a less chunky sauce, you can use the "secret weapon" - a potato masher - to crush the tomatoes while they are cooking (we do this once in a while as Daddy-dog prefers the tomatoes smashed to bits!).

4) Bring the heat down to medium-low. Add 1-2 tablespoons of dried basil and salt and pepper to taste and let simmer, covered, for at least another 20 - 30 minutes stirring occasionally.  (The longer it simmers, the more the flavors blend together!)

Now, it's time for a taste test. 

Sauce is looking ready

You can add more basil, salt and/or pepper to your liking...after all, it is YOUR sauce!  If you add a bit more seasoning, let the sauce simmer a bit longer AND if you prefer a thicker sauce, let it simmer UNCOVERED.

This recipe makes enough so you have more than one meal, which is nice!  If you make sausages and/or meatballs, you can put them in the sauce and freeze it all like Ma does.

Yes, there are meatballs hiding in there!

If you don't add any meat, you could always can it like we have done as well...so you have a jar of your very own sauce in the pantry.

Either way, I hope you enjoy it!

Oz the Terrier

P.S. As you know, I have been on doctor duty taking care of Ma's Auntie.  Auntie is from "the Italian side" of Ma's family and she just was sharing Ma's grandma's secret meat sauce recipe...so stay tuned because Ma is going to make it and then I am going to share it with you!!!!